Musical instrument



REESE B. KENT, OF WHEELING, WEs'r VIRGINIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10,1920.

Application filed October 16, 1919. Serial No. 330,997.

To all whom it may concern;-

Be it known that I, Rnnsn B. KENT, a

citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates broadly to an electrical wiring system for the fingering mag.- nets of mechanically played stringed instru meats, and it has for its primary object to provide, in connection with a violin or other similar stringed instrument and associated with a player piano having key actions which are silenced and responsive to perforations in a travelinginusic-sheet for closing electric circuits through said magnets, means whereby a maximum number of such fingering magnets for said instrument may be rendered operative by the employment of a minimum number of silenced key-actions of such player piano.

A further object is to simplify and improve the musical instrument disclosed in my pending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 279,249. H

In describing the invention in detail reference is herein had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention, and a y w Fig.2 is a side elevation of a'silenced keyaction of a player piano showing diagranr matically the electric 'circuits whichare closable through actuation thereof. 7

Referring to said drawin s, 1 indicates the neck of a violin or other similar stringed instrument which has associated therewith a plurality of suitable fingering devices adapted to be actuated to move into engagement with the strings 2 by means of electromagnets located in a plurality of electric circuits which are closable for energizing said magnets. Said electric circuits are designed to be closed through enga ement. of

movable contact members 3 with stationary contact members 4. 'While said contacts may be located ona player piano in any suitable position wherein they will be carried into engagement for closing the electric circuit in which they are located by operative movement of one of said parts in the usual manner occasioned by the passage of a perforation in the traveling playerlano music-sheet over the tracker-board,it is preferred that said stationary contact 4 be mounted upon the lower flange rail 5 of the piano and that said movable contact 3 be carried by the substantially-upright vertically-movable abstract 6 of a key action which is silenced by suitable means, as by an outwardly shifted clavier bar 7 which is mounted upon the hammer-butt spring-rail 8- of the piano. Said abstract is seated at its lower end upon the rear end of the usual piano key 9 and has pivoted connection with a said lower flange rail, as ordinarily.

such position, when the abstract 6 is ele-v vated in the manner commonly produced by the actuation of the key actions of a player piano, the contact 3 is caused to engage the contact at, This action results in the closing of the electric circuit and in energizing one of two companion fingering magnets 10 and 10 located in separate branches of said circuit, according as the energizing current is permitted to pass through one or the other of said branches.

A switch 11 is interposed in each of the various electric circuits whereby the circuit may be closed through a selected branch thereof for energizing the magnet which is included in said branch. In the present embodiment, the various switches 11, one being employed for each circuit, are carried by and extend laterally from a longitudinally shiftable rod or bar 12 which is located in an appropriate position and which is normally held in the retracted position shown in the drawings by means of a retractile coil spring 18.

Each of the various switches 11 is connected by a conductor 1% to the movable contact 3 of one of the silenced keyactions, and, in the retracted position of said bar 12, lies in engagement with a contactlb which is connected by a conductor 16 leading to one of the fingering magnets 10 which, in turn, is connected by conductor 17 to a source of electric current, as to a poleof a storage battery 18 which has its opposite pole connected by a conductor 19 to the stationary contact at with which said movable contactfi is adapted to engage.

When said bar 12 is shifted against the tension of the spring 13, the various switches 11 are carriedout of engagement with the contacts 15 and into en'gagement with contacts 20. Each of said contacts 20 is con nected by a conductor 21. to afingering magnet 10 which is in turn connected by a conductor 22 to the conductor 17 hereinbeforc referred to. 1

The bar 12, or one end thereof, constitutes the armature of an electro-magnet 23 which, when energized, acts to produce shifting of said bar against the tension of its spring 13. Said magnet 2-3 is included in an elec tric circuit which comprises the source of current 18, conductor '17, a conductor 2i, said magnet 23, a conductor 25, a movable contact 3% a stationary contact i, a eonductor 26 and the conductor 19, said conductor 26 being connected to, or tapped in on, said conductor 19. Said contacts and a correspond in all respects with the contacts 3 and i hereinbefore referred to and are actuated to engage for closing the circuit through said ma net 23 by operative movement of a key-action of the piano actua ed by passage of a perforation in the musicsheet over the tracker bar.

It will be understood that specially-cut perforations are provided. in the music-sheet for actuating the various player-piano keyactions by means of which the various electric circuits including the contacts 3 and -i are closed, and that cthr specially-cut perforations are provided in said music-sheet for actuating the key-action by means of which the circuit including contacts 3 and 42 are closed. 7 V

In practice, when a certain fingering magnet 10 is to be actuated, a perforation isprovided in the music-sheet at the nroper point:

for actuating the hey-action carrying the contacts 3 and 4: whereby the circuit through said magnet is closed. When a certain fingering magnet 10 is to be actuated, two perforations are provided at proper points in the sheet, one thereof for actuating thereontacts 3 and 4 whereby the circuit through the magnet 23 is closed for effecting the shifting of rod 12 simultaneously with the actuation through the other perforation of the key-action whereby the circuit is closed through said magnet 10.

As is obvious, the perforations for actuating the fingering magnets must be specially cut to produce fingering action of said magnets in the order and succession required in the production of the notes through the intermediacy of suitable bowing devices, as the-bowing disks 15 of the instrument disclosed in my application hereinbefore referred to.

It will be noted that the invention described provides for the actuation of sixty fingering magnets with the employment of but thirty-four key-actions of the playerpiano, (thirty for the fingering magnets 10 and 10' and four for the switch shifting magnets 23) leaving ten key-actions to be and expression devices, and forty-four kevutilized for actuating bowingdisks, pickers actions for the required piano accompaiiiment.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with player-piano key-actions responsive to perforations in a traveling music-sheet and having associated therewith means whereby some thereof may we silenced without wholly restraining responsive movement, of an electrical contact carried by a movable part of certain of said silenced key-actions, a fixed contact member adapted to be engaged by said movable contact, an electrical circuit in which said contacts are located and adapted to be closed by interenga 'ementof said contacts, a violin or other stringed instrument, a plurality of fingering devices associated with the strings of said instrument, each fingering device including an electro-inagnet, each circuit having two branches and having one fingering magnet located in each branch, and means for selecting the branch through whic'hthe. current is directed upon the closing of the circuit.

2. The combination with player-piano key-actions responsive to perforations in a traveling music-sheet and having associated therewith means whereby some thereof may be silenced without wholly restraining responsive movement, of a pair of electrical contacts adapted to be interengaged by move ment of a part of certain of said silenced key-act10ns, an elect 108d c1rcu1t 111 which said contacts are located and adapted to be closedby interengagement of said contacts, avioli'n or other stringed instrument, a plurality of fingering devices associated with the strings of said instrument, each fingering device including an electro-magnet, each circuit having a plurality of branches and having one fingering magnet located in each branch, and means for selecting the branch through which the energizing current is directed when the circuit is closed, 7

8.- The combination with player-piano key-actions responsive to perforations in a traveling music-sheet and having associated therewith means whereby some thereof may be silenced without wholly restraining responsive movement, of a violin or other similar stringed instrument, a plurality of fin gering devices associated with the strings of said instrument, each fingering device including an electro-magnet, a plurality of normally open electric circuits each of which embodies two branches, each of said branches including one of said magnets, electrical contacts located in each of said circuits adapted to effect closing of the latter through one or the other of the branchesthereof, said contacts being carried by relatively movable parts of selected music-sheet0perated keytraveling musicsheet and having associated therewith means whereby some thereof may be silenced without wholly restraining responsive movement, of a violin or other similar stringed instrument, a plurality of fingering devices associated with the strings,

of said instrument, each fingering device including an electro-magnet, a plurality ofnormally open electric circuits each of which embodies two branches, each of said branches including one of said magnets, electrical contacts located in each of said circuits adapted to effect closing of the latter through one or the other of the branches thereof, said contacts being carried by relatively movable parts of selected music-sheet-operated keyactions, and means for selecting the branch of the circuit through which energizing current is directed, said means including a switch located in each circuit, means normally maintaining said switch in operative relation to one of said branches, and means for shifting said switch out of said relation and into like relation to the other branch.

5. The combination with player-piano key-actions responsive to perforations in a traveling music-sheet and having associated therewith means whereby some thereof may besilenced without wholly restraining responsive movement, of a violin or other similar stringed instrument, a plurality of fingering devices associated withthe strings of said instruments, each fingering device including an electro-magnet, a plurality of normally open electric circuits each of which embodies a plurality of branches, each of said branches including one of said magnets,

electrical contacts located in each of said cir-' cuits adapted to effect closing of the latter through one or the other of the branches thereof, said contacts being; carried by relatively movable parts of selected music-sheetoperated key-actions, and means for selecting the branch of the circuit through which energizing current is directed, said means including a switch in operative relation to one of said branches, and means responsive to perforations in said music-sheet whereby said switch is shifted from its normal position into operative relation to another of said branches.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

REESE B. KENT. WVitnesses:

G. 0. SMITH, H. E. DUNLAP. 

